5 Best Birds for Emotional Support+ Benefits

Translated by Nick R

It has been proved that animals, especially pets, play a fundamental role in people’s mental and physical health. In the case of birds, because of their personality and closeness to humans, some of them can be perfect to support their owners with their emotions. Stay and get to know them.

Why have an emotional support bird? 

As social creatures, humans’ emotional well-being depends to a great extent on having someone to talk to and interact with. Well, birds make this possible through their curiosity, word repetition, their different songs, and the need for many to bond and maintain the attention of their owners.

Birds are ideal for living in small spaces 

Contrary to a dog or a cat that may need more space and make a mess at home, most domestic birds don’t need a lot of space to live, especially when it comes to eating, drinking, and playing; however, it is good for your birds to spend as much time as possible outside the cage, especially if their species requires it, as it happens with most parrots (Psittaciformes).

Less expensive to care for 

Their needs are easier to meet in comparison to other animals, starting with the basic items they need, such as feeders, waterers, and a toy or two. In the case of food, their diet is varied and they don’t require any specific food besides seeds, vegetables, and fresh fruits.

Benefits of a bird on mental health 

Birds come to resemble humans a lot in behaviors such as bonding, the ability to socialize and communicate with each other, express emotions, and perceive emotions even before they are shown. So, some of the benefits of birds for human mental health are:

  • They can help people suffering from anxiety, depression, autism, bipolar or post-traumatic stress syndrome.
  • They can sense emotions and empathize with their owners.
  • They are good company for those who suffer from loneliness.
  • They promote affectivity.
  • They reduce stress levels (an action that has also been proven with bird watching).
  • They help to increase the independence of their caretakers, especially children and adolescents, due to the care that birds need.

Important aspects of adopting a bird for emotional care 

  • Some countries may have legislation that restricts the ownership of emotional care pets to certain types of animals that are trained for emotional care.
  • Emotional care pets are not the same as service animals, which are specially trained to satisfy some needs of their owners and help them in certain tasks or actions.
  • Remember that before choosing your emotional support bird you should know its needs, care and which of them are allowed to have at home.

Top 5 Emotional Support Birds for Humans 

Parrots

Green parrot on a broken branch
Life expectancy40 to 80 years
Size35cm to 70cm
Weight250g to 800g approx.

Parrots take the lead among all other birds when it comes to emotional care because of their ability to mimic words, which makes them very sociable and attention-demanding birds that won’t hesitate to ask for your attention with their chattering, words, or games.

Their ability to repeat words allows them to have a better ability to react to the emotions of their owners, drawing their attention with some words to make their owner aware of what they are feeling before any anxiety or panic attack for example.

Cockatiels 

Cockatiel perched on a finger.
Life expectancy8 to 15 years
Size25cm to 33cm
Weight88g to 100g

Cockatiels can make you feel different emotions as they can have a comical or very shy personality, but they will surely help you whenever you need them. Their main feature is their singing, which is very soft and melodic, although they are also capable of learning to imitate other sounds.

Australian parakeets 

Pair of male Australian parakeets
Life expectancy10 to 20 years
Size18cm to 20cm
Weight30g approx.

Available in a variety of colors, they are the perfect pet for those who have little idea of how to care for a pet bird, especially children who require the companionship of a pet. Budgies are playful, talkative, intelligent, affectionate, and very sociable, which allows them to create affectionate bonds with their owners.

Agapornis 

Agapornis on a branch
Life expectancy10 to 20 years
Size14cm to 15cm
Weight50g to 55g

Agapornis are extremely affectionate. There are many species of them and each one will share the same emotional support qualities, also linked to the habit of bonding with others of the same species and with you as the owner; they can help you to socialize and keep you active while playing.

Canaries 

Yellow Canary on a perch
Cédric Courbois, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Life expectancy6 to 20 years
Size11.5cm to 23cm
Weight15g to 30g approx.

They are ideal for those who may not have enough time to stay at home or give them a lot of attention.

Besides being small, their song and bright color are an invitation to appreciate them and spend time with them.

Conclusions

Having a bird for emotional support is just one of the many ways we humans have to take care of our health; however, we must always be aware that they are also living beings that need a lot of care to be well and to be able to help us.

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